Line #24 Main/SinisterTangoMusic


1	->''And now: the six merry murderesses of the Cook County Jail, in their rendition of the Cell Block Tango...''
2	-->-- ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}''
3
4	[[AC:For added atmosphere, play the music from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztU-lCLTBzo this track]] while reading on.]]
5
6	Like a few other types of music, {{tango}} music is often used in fiction for creepiness. Unlike genres such as [[CreepyJazzMusic jazz]] and [[RottenRockAndRoll rock]], tango music isn't exactly "rebellious".[[note]]Actually, Tango ''was'' TheNewRockAndRoll back in the early XX century, but standards changed a lot since then because times change[[/note]] In fact, the reason it is played for creepiness in fiction may be because of how elegant it sounds. The tune itself is tantalizing, captivating, and decadent within its melancholic vibe. It has a syncopated march rhythm, which gives the air of mystery and uncertainty. It helps that it's usually played in a specific chord progression making use of minor chords, which are generally associated with negative things (see the "Multiple Ensemble" section in MoodMotif).
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8	The music is typically associated with WickedCultured characters, due to its elegant mood. But because the dances are usually intimate, it is also often associated with seductive characters, such as {{Femme Fatale}}s.
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10	Contrast CreepyJazzMusic, which is also conducive to dancing, and RottenRockAndRoll. Not to be confused with DeathTrapTango.
11	----
12	!!Examples
13
14	[[foldercontrol]]
15
16	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
17	* The Arrancar {{leitmotif}} from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' often makes use of this trope, especially in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiJ-GRwTubo Nube Negra]], which has a tango/flamenco-esque sound.
18	[[/folder]]
19
20	[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
21	* ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues'' has Gomez and Morticia doing a Tango that is equal parts sinister and sexy.
22	* ''Film/TheImaginariumOfDoctorParnassus'' features a brief tango between [[LouisCypher Mister Nick]] (played by Creator/TomWaits) and [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Valentina]] (played by Creator/LilyCole).
23	* ''Film/OnceBitten'' opens with a Tango number as Sebastian gets his vampire mistress all done up for an evening of hunting virgins.
24	* ''Film/SunsetBoulevard'': Tango music plays as [[WhiteDwarfStarlet Norma Desmond]] forces protagonist Joe Gillis to dance with her.
25	* '' Film/TrueLies'' plays with the trope. Harry has a weakness for the Tango and dances it with his sexy but evil target. At the end, he dances another with the wife he loves, inconveniencing their partner in the van.
26	* In ''Film/TwelveMonkeys'', the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kesfa5-c874 title theme]] is also the leitmotif of the Army of the 12 Monkeys, the AnimalWrongsGroup believed responsible for causing the apocalypse. It's written and performed by legendary tango musician Astor Piazzolla.
27	* ''Film/WakingLife'': Most of the soundtrack is tango music--and so when The Dreamer starts to become more and more unhinged and the visuals become (literally) more nightmarish as the movie nears its climax, this Trope is pretty much in play.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
31	* In ''Series/{{Galavant}}'', when Galavant attempts to win back his former lover Madalena, (who has undergone a FaceHeelTurn and become an [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen evil queen]]) his declaration of love is accompanied by heartfelt, swelling chords while Madalena's reply ("I love you... [[TheSociopath as much as]] [[ItsAllAboutMe someone like me could love anyone]]") is a hot and heavy tango number and Madalena goes into [[FemmeFatale full seduction mode]] as she tries to win Galavant over to her side.
32	* There are shades of this in [[https://vimeo.com/17954602 Ares' seductive song]] in the ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' MusicalEpisode ''Bitter Suite''.
33	* Creator/{{PBS}}'s ''Mystery!'' series used to have an [[https://youtu.be/CG7SyxaXGwU?t=52 animated opening]] based on the gothic art of Creator/EdwardGorey. The opening has an overall creepy atmosphere, with constant rain, a DeliberatelyMonochrome color scheme, and several murders occurring at what looks like a HauntedHouse. The whole thing is scored to a tango tune, and features a shot of sombre people dancing the tango.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Music]]
37	* Music/MarcJungermann's song "[[https://youtu.be/ztU-lCLTBzo Tango of the Undead]]" is a creepy, somewhat distorted-sounding tango piece.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Theatre]]
41	* The "Cell Block Tango" from ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'' is a VillainSong sung by the female prisoners about their motives for committing murder.
42	* ''Theatre/CrossRoad'' has "Tango to Sin", where the devil Amduscias entices the duchess Elisa Bonaparte (sister of Napoleon) to become patron to his human [[DealWithTheDevil contractee]], Niccolo Paganini.
43	* In ''Theatre/PokemonLive'', [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Jessie, James, and Meowth]] get a tango VillainSong called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgDZUY4Vg9Y The Best at Being the Worst]]." Unusually, the song is about the villains ''berating'' themselves, yet at the same time, they seem to take pride in how incompetent they are.
44	* In ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera'' Macheath and Jenny have a "romantic" tango song about their past relationship when he used to pimp her, which is mildly sinister in the traditional but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku8RVgRejMs bowdlerised Blitzstein English translation]]. The German original and later more accurate translations go even further by referring to violent abuse and back-street abortion.
45	* In ''Theatre/TurnaboutMusical'', Dee Vasquez's testimony song, "Battle of Wits," is in the form of a tango.
46	* Captain Hook has "Hook's Tango" in TheaTre/PeterPan1954- an InUniverse tango in which he plots to kill all the Lost Boys.
47	[[/folder]]
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49	[[folder:Video Games]]
50	* ''VideoGame/DarkChronicle'': [[https://youtu.be/oA1OZCbGfiI Moonlight Tango]], which plays when Maximilian is on the run from [[RepulsiveRingmaster Flotsam]] and his MonsterClown mooks.
51	* ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim 2'': The stage "Utterly Abducted" features ominous tango music in the background, which helps contribute to the vibe of frustration as Jim seeks to prevent oblivious bovines from being beamed into alien saucers.
52	* In ''VideoGame/NightmareNed'', the [[https://youtu.be/3ppT2V3DkYQ Rat Tango]] is sung by the [[YouDirtyRat evil rats]] in the bathroom level, about they like to kill people by electrocuting them.
53	* ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'': [[LivingDollCollector Haruka]], Hebijo Academy's OmnidisciplinaryScientist and [[FetishizedAbuser sadistic]] [[EvilPuppeteer puppetmaster]], has a new piece of ominous tango music associated with her with every new appearance. WordOfGod has it that her character makes the composer think of "France and Piazzolla".
54	[[/folder]]
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56	[[folder:Western Animation]]
57	* The opening sequence of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfFigaroPho'', which shows Figaro being frightened and chased by some of the monsters that appear in the show, is accompanied by a classy-sounding tango tune.
58	* ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' has an episode wherein Pepper and Blythe duet "[[https://youtu.be/VGw9XaIKA_s The Guilty Tango]]" and the animation goes all dark and gloomy.
59	* The VillainSong "A Better Way to be Bad" from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is done in this style.
60	* In the Disney short ''WesternAnimation/{{Lorenzo}},'' a MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon, tango music is used as the background for a story about a gluttonous, prideful cat with a beautiful bushy tail. After failing an OldBeggarTest, Lorenzo's tail is enchanted into sentience and sweeps him into a tango around town. He tries various, increasingly dangerous methods to quiet it, including electrocution and having it run over by a train, until the old beggar cat returns and suggests he cut it off. Lorenzo is reluctant, but eventually relents, only to have the tail ''grab the knife'' to defend itself. Lorenzo is eventually successful in cutting off as the song reaches its triumphant end.
61	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / SinisterTangoMusic